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EP 13 - Create Freedom in Life and Business, with Ana McRae

Writer's picture: Believe Crew AdminBelieve Crew Admin

Updated: Jun 13, 2023
















Listen: Spotify | Apple | Google | Audible


Moving from business consulting to coaching entrepreneurs so that they can live fulfilling lives is what Life and Business Coach, Ana McRae loves to help her clients with. She has been Jaime's coach for the last two years and holds space for one-on-one work with her clients, helping them create the businesses of their dreams. Ana is so nerdy about the idea of creating space for happiness that she reads research papers for fun on Friday nights. She doesn't only coach her clients through this, she lives it herself. Touring the national parks in Canada for five months while living in a schoolie was a dream for 3 years, until the summer of 2022 when it became a reality. Now she realizes that she also loves the structure she has created for her life and business at home, so she is ready to enjoy that again! Curious about the coaching industry and why coaching? Listen as Ana and Jaime discuss how investing in coaching might be the investment to consider over business consulting or strategy for entrepreneurs looking for

fulfillment.


Booking link for a free coaching session: https://forms.gle/4oxmM2V6QMKG7pSq6

Follow Ana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamcrae/



Jaime White

00:01

Hello, and welcome to the Believe Crew Podcast; The Business is You. I'm Jamie White,

Founder of Believe Crew and your host, let's jump right in. I am excited today

to share with the world, the coach that has helped me over the last almost two

years. And coming from a place of where I thought I was looking for a health

coach searching on Google. And finding out that wasn't actually what I was

ready to invest in. Ana, tell us about your business and how you got into this.



Ana McRae

00:33

Amazing. Well, first off, I'm really excited to be here, Jaime, I think this is going to

be such a powerful conversation. So I'm just thrilled to be a part of it with

you. And so for those of you that don't know me for your listeners, my name is

Ana McRae, and I'm an entrepreneur coach for high achievers who want to build

grow and scale thriving businesses, while living fulfilling lives. And so I

help my clients operate at peak performance in their life in their business so

they can achieve the levels of success, wealth, impact happiness that they

desire, alongside feeling fulfilled without sacrificing that part of themselves

just to get those monetary goals met.



Jaime White

01:13

That's 100% what I've been leaning into, and it's been you challenging me, right? I

remember being like, well, I want to be able to coach and work with my kids

from home and be barefoot. And and you were like, well, and why can't you? You

know? And it's like, oh, maybe you're right. But my brain was not there. Right?

I was. So that word when you say like, being able to do all the things and be

fulfilled doing it and create that dream, like, like some of those words sound

cliche or so. But you're continually continually preaching that message, and

even helping in the coaching sessions of like, wait, wait, what is it that you

find now working with clients? What are some of the things that come up all the

time?



Ana McRae

01:59

Well, I think there's just such a predefined version of success that we're all taught

and that we've become accustomed to as the norm. And so it takes someone

reflecting back to you a different possibility, or a different version of what

you can have, because it's almost like our brain doesn't naturally go there.

Right? Our brain assumes that in order to make lots of money, you have to work

lots of hours, or in order to make lots of money, you have to do something you

hate, because that's the only thing that pays well. And I think for me, prior

to coaching, I was in consulting, so I've worked with entrepreneurs and

business owners my entire career. And through consulting, where we were really

focused on the strategy side of growing the business, I still saw so many

miserable millionaires, right. And so these people that theoretically have it

all the freedom, the money, they were still unhappy. And so that's what really

led me to coaching is to help people go beyond just the strategy of how to

create what they want, and really see like how they're getting in their own

way, and what they're doing to hold themselves back so that they can overcome

that and create the actual life that they desire without getting wrapped up in

this rat race to wealth, you know, getting to the top and then looking back and

thinking, Yeah, I this is really not what I wanted, like, this isn't for me,

turns out, I'm not any happier when I have all this money, what I really wanted

was freedom. But I've built my business out of alignment with that. And so for

me, I really love to partner with entrepreneurs at any stage of their journey,

whether, you know, I have some clients that are just at the very beginning

trying to land their first clients so that they can escape their corporate

jobs. But I also have clients that have been established entrepreneurs for

decades running seven, eight figure businesses, they're at all different ends

of the spectrum, but what they really want or what they value is a higher level

of success alongside more fulfillment and happiness and not at the expense of

it.



Jaime White

04:02

Of course, I love that. And I'm glad that you continue to hold the banner high

that it is possible. And tell us how you're living that and how you have been

living that.



Ana McRae

04:12

Oh my goodness, what a journey. So when I started my business, what I really wanted

was to be able to do work that I really loved. And to be able to spend more

time with my kids and to be able to travel more often, which I think is like a

pretty common desire, right, especially for someone coming from a corporate

background. It's like we just want control over our schedules, more time with

the family and more time more freedom to travel. And so I built my business

knowing those values front and center and really ingraining them into how I set

up my client work my offers my schedule, etc. And it's just been a phenomenal

journey. So this past year, we took five months we traveled across the country,

my husband and two kids and our Bernese Mountain Dog and got to see like the

Rocky Mountains All of the national and provincial parks that we could get to,

and I ran my business from the road the entire time. So I set it up so that I

was still taking client calls, and able to do like the bare minimum to keep my

business going. While we really spent five months adventuring as a family and

to have gone through that journey we've returned now, but to have experienced

something that didn't even feel fully possible when I set out, right, so when I

was sitting in my corporate job, feeling absolutely miserable, wondering how on

earth I was going to survive the next 60 years of my life like this, and

thinking about a different reality of like, maybe I could make a lot of money

doing something I actually like, maybe I could have the freedom to travel more

often. Like maybe I could actually see my kids during the week and not just get

home at bedtime. To have that full circle moment. And to be able to experience

all of that because of the actions that I took to get there. Like that was just

the most amazing experience.



Jaime White

06:03

And the thing is, I remember when you're setting yourself up for it, you're like, if I

miss any appointments, like I have it figured out that on Thursdays I'm gonna

have internet. If I don't, you know, we'll make that up later. And I don't

think that you missed any. Did any? I think that? Yeah, I mean, I'm sure there

were times where you wondered, but.



Ana McRae

06:24

I'm just such a planner that you guys, you have to know there was a spreadsheet with 72

rows and like 18 columns of where we were gonna be each day like it was not a

spontaneous trip. But I did what I had to do to make it work. And because what

was important to me, was being able to do work I love while traveling, right?

It wasn't that I was heading into it thinking, a God, I have to still do my

client calls. I wish I could be off for five months like that wasn't it at all,

because I had integrated the work that I love and the lifestyle that I love. So

it just took a bit of extra planning or action to figure out how can I

consistently show up for my clients in a different way than I have been when

I'm sitting at my desk for five days a week?



Jaime White

07:07

Yeah. And so how long did that process take from the from the dream and being in

corporate to the actual it's happening? This is real pinch me? Oh, yeah, that was

like four years.



Ana McRae

07:17

And it was it felt like a long, long time in the moment. Because specifically for the

trip, we converted a school bus into like this luxury, tiny house on wheels.

And I'm not the most like tool savvy. So I really thought this would be like a

three to six month process. Three years later, we're still devoting all of our

evenings and weekends to getting this bus the way we want it to be. So that

took a lot longer than I expected. And at the same time I was building my business.

So pretty much those two things went hand in hand, I had that moment where I

was like, I can't keep doing this, I need to do something different. So I need

to build something I can travel in. And I need to build a business that will

support that. And so it took a long time. I think, you know, the messaging

online can sometimes be that my success happened overnight. And sure. Now

looking back, it certainly feels that way. It's like well, I got here so fast,

amazing. Look at me go. But in the moment, it never feels that way.



Jaime White

08:18

I have a 17 year old, almost 18 year old right now. And the joke right now is that he's

working to be that overnight millionaire. And it's three years in the making.

He's just in the beginning stages of seeing his three years worth of work come.

And so that's the lie right there the myth that it's this overnight, but it's

take some time to get there. So now that you have really kind of achieved the

results you were looking for on this one trip. And you came from being working

on this day and night for three years. What is next?



Ana McRae

08:57

That's such a great question. And it's a question that I asked myself a lot like I

always have a big goal that I'm working towards. And for the longest time, it's

been the trip and the business. And now we did the trip and my business is

where I wanted it to be at that point. And so for the first time, I'm sitting

in the discomfort of not having a next of just really appreciating the here and

the now which I was never, ever, ever good at and still struggle with. But what

I learned on the trip was I wasn't necessarily any happier on the trip than I

was at home like sure there was great moments. But there are also great moments

at home. And there were some pretty crappy moments too. And so what that

experience allowed me to realize was that I can really choose to be as happy as

I want, regardless of the circumstances that I'm in and while the goals are

really great for intentionally getting to a place that you want to be at. I

think sometimes they can keep But from realizing we're already there. And so

for me, I'm just soaking it all in and really leaning into kind of celebrating,

enjoying, or just grounding in everything that I've already created and letting

that be enough for a while.



Jaime White

10:16

I love that. And I've heard that from other leaders, where they're saying the things

that they want to learn this next year is how to not be doing as much and just

being and creating space. And, like, when I look at, where I think I want to be

creating space is not one of the things that usually people have on their goal

sheet. You know, just just being okay with where I'm at and saying, Okay,

what's next? And being more open to what comes, in terms of who is it that I'm

called to be? And where am I called to be? Now when you are helping clients

from this place of having been through this? Has it changed your perspective

and and how you're helping clients at all?



Ana McRae

11:08

That's a great question. I think one of the key part of the work I do with my clients,

as I mentioned, was really helping them create a fulfilling life through

entrepreneurship, right. So through business as the way that you're going to

support this thing that you want. But that fulfillment and happiness is really

the goal. And so especially because I work with a lot of like type a driven

high achievers that are like, Oh, go go achieve all the things like smash all

the records, it becomes something that pretty much comes up on a regular basis

on every single one of our coaching calls. Because what I've seen or the

patterns I've noticed is a people have a really hard time celebrating

themselves and seeing all of the momentum they are making, because especially

entrepreneurs that are so focused on the vision and the ideas and the big grand

plan, they can't, like our brains are wired to see how far they've come.

They're really wired to help us like see what to improve, and what needs to be

fixed and what can be better and keep going. And so a big part of our work is

really coming back to the place of seeing all of the stuff that you have

achieved, because from there, if you take the time to celebrate it a this has

been like scientifically proven, I was just nerding out on a big research paper

about this the other day, where one of the ancient operating systems in the

brain is this reinforcement learning. So the brain does something it receives a

reward. And then it's like, okay, cool, that was fun. Let's do that, again,

because I want that reward. So in entrepreneurship, if you're not rewarding

yourself every step of the way, you're just not going to sustain the energy

that you need to get to where you want to go. And I find that that is one of

our biggest challenges. So through the trip, having noticed that, okay, I

achieved all the things but I'm not actually really feeling all that different.

Like, yes, I would 100% still do it all over again, I'm in a much better place

than I was. But in terms of how I feel on a day to day basis, it didn't

necessarily solve all of my problems. And so that reminder that like the goal

isn't the fix. It's it's the thing that enables you to feel fulfilled in the

process of achieving it. Because as humans, we want to grow personally, we want

to grow our businesses, like we just want to grow. It's what that overcoming of

challenges. That's what fulfills us. But you have to recognize that in the

process, rather than thinking, you know, there's going to be something magical

at the end.



Jaime White

13:39

What you said about celebrating, obviously, I've been seen and heard in this place, I

think it took me a year to not show up and say, I don't know what I've been

celebrating, I know you're going to ask and I can't think of it. I mean, it was

terrible, terrible when I look back. And of course, I'd like to beat up on

myself as part of the process too. But I remember even being like, well, I can

tell you what my husband is celebrating, you know, I was stretching for

celebrations and distractions and to think about how we need to rewire our

brains and accept and be okay with sharing those celebrations and accepting

them and being aware of them is huge. I know it changed my life. And now it's

it's a mindset shift that I work on on a regular basis because I feel the

energy in my body shifts when I go from a to a place of like, Wow, that's

amazing. I'm so thankful for that. Were even even being thankful before it's

even happened. Now I'm moving into celebrating before it's even true.



Ana McRae

14:36

You're becoming a pro at celebrating that for sure.



Jaime White

14:39

Tell me about the research paper. Are you studying something?



Ana McRae

14:43

Oh no, I just like to Google research papers for fun. This is like, this is my idea of a

fun Friday night. And so I've really been digging into like the neuroscience of

happiness and fulfillment like what drives people to make decisions and what

creates success and all of that and so that one was particularly in wrestling

because it reaffirms something I knew all along. Like I knew through my own

journey that if I'm constantly beating myself up feeling like I didn't get

enough, done, it's not happening fast enough, like, I don't know what I'm

doing, I'm not achieving enough as fast as I want to be, that's really not

motivating me to go then take the inspired creative action that I need to take

to achieve the outcome I want. But if I pause, so now I have a regular practice

of celebrating every day, but also specifically celebrating at the end of the

week, looking back over my entire week, and looking at everything that went

well, every action I took, that got me closer to where I want to go. And every

result that came in, that I'm really thrilled about, that gives me the energy

and motivation to then go do the hard, uncomfortable, scary things outside of

my comfort zone to take my business even further. But like you said, it's

really hard in the beginning, because we're not trained to think that way. Or

our brains aren't programmed to look at things that way. And so it's like

building that muscle of being able to recognize your own progress and

accomplishments,



Jaime White

16:06

What you're speaking to, I think, Dan Sullivan wrote a book, I think it's called the

Gap and the Gain. And I've skimmed it, let's say at best, I'm not sure if I've

actually read it. But I think the concept is oftentimes our brains are looking

at the gap between where we are and where we want to go, and just kind of

beating up on ourselves versus becoming aware of the gain. How far have we

come. And I know even for myself, every once in a while looking back over the

last year and being like, a year ago, you were working with me, and I couldn't

find a spot to have a consistent Zoom meeting with you where the internet was

working. And I wouldn't lose, you know, because I my phone might have been not

have been charged all the way and I didn't have a microphone and I didn't have

a headset. And it was like a dream to be like I could actually be in the same

room and be ready for a meeting and prepare, you know, the gain here like remember

when it wasn't that long ago, right? And so if I'm constantly looking at where

is it that I'm not where I wanted to be, instead of recognizing how far have I

come and celebrating? I do think that there's a huge shift. So you're using the

word neuroscience with regards to this. What are you finding in terms of the

study about our brain and some of the stuff that's shifting? Is this new

information that hasn't been out there? Is that really what's happening?



Ana McRae

17:30

Yeah, great question. So I want to preface this by saying I'm not a neuroscientist.

So like, take all this with a grain of salt. But I think the common way of

thinking especially about business, or kind of the old school approach has

really been to look at strategy and to say like, here's the secret to success,

here's the path that you need to take to get there, like, here are the things

you need to do to get what you want. And while action is definitely going to

create the results, really the only thing that creates the result, there's so

much underneath what sparks the action. And so there's this whole developing

field of how our thoughts and our feelings actually can not control but

influence the kind of action that we take and how much action we take and how

consistently we take it. And it's been really interesting when when digging

into specifically the neuroscience side of things, how our brain is actually

programmed, right. So like, we know that change is hard, like we've all

experienced trying to start a new diet or build a new habit or do something

different in business like changes is challenging. But when you look at why

that is on like a neuroscience level, it is just validating or empowering to

see that like there's nothing wrong with you. Because this is feeling hard. It's

actually because your brain is wired to maintain the status quo. And so as an

entrepreneur, if you're constantly trying to go against the status quo, to

create change, to grow your business to disrupt the industry to shift your

clients lives, it's going to feel hard a lot of the time, but that doesn't mean

that it's wrong. And so I think digging into neuroscience has really allowed me

to see like, what is the science behind the way that my clients are acting or

the way the things that they're struggling with? And how do we use that science

to really show them the power of some of the things we're talking about. Right?

So like a big part of the work I do with my clients is mindset work because I

know that if you secretly believe no one's gonna buy your services, you're not

going to sell your services if you secretly believe you can't make a lot of

money doing work you love. You're not gonna make a lot of money doing what you

love. And to some of my clients like depending where they are on the woowoo

spectrum like that just sounds ridiculous that we would ever talk about our

thoughts and our feelings like let's make a strategy, but being able to bring

their logical brain some facts about the way that our brains work so that they

can get behind some of that mindset work has really been a game changer.



Jaime White

20:07

So what I'm hearing from you, and just thinking about some of the other podcasts that

I've done and listening to some of them, it's almost like there's this shift in

the business books that have been written, and really the new strategy behind

business, and are there even enough books or articles out there? Or is this

new? And what is the future then of business strategy in your mind?



Jaime White

20:32

Hmm, great question. I think we get to a place where we realize that the strategy is

only 20%. And so what becomes built into the strategy is this other 80% of our

mindset and our energy. And that's really where I see the game change for

entrepreneurs is, you know, people come to me and they say, I want to double my

business this year. How do we going to do that? What's the strategy? Well, we

can build the strategy, like it's actually not rocket science to grow your

business. But are you going to execute the strategy? And what that really comes

down to? Is your head in the right place consistently, so that you can take the

action? And is your energy in the right place? Like are you literally taking

care of yourself and your body so that you have the motivation and creativity

and energy to take the action? That's not talked about? So much in business, I

think the narrative is shifting, because we're hearing a lot more like work

life balance, or work life integration, and like, self care. And like, I think

that's the beginning of the movement. But I really envision a world where

entrepreneurs put themselves first. And because of that their business grows,

where I see my clients create the most success is when they are so tuned into

what they need and what they want. And they put that first and it creates the

energy and motivation and action and consistency, to then do what the business

needs and what the business wants. But when we have that backwards, and we've

got that tunnel vision of just do whatever it takes to hit the goal, it doesn't

matter how much you work or how you do it. Sure you hit the goal, but then you

end up unhappy and the goal really isn't worth it to begin with. So I think the

conversation is really starting to shift to zoom out a bit from the goal and

look at well, what's kind of the point of all of this? And how do we really

round out our approach to business.



Jaime White

22:31

It's a huge thing. I mean, I've shared with people use something simple, like I can

help you build an ice creams stand, or, you know, coffee shop or whatever. What

are you called the call to do a coffee shop like is that what's actually going

to fulfill you and when we think about all the different businesses that people

can do to create money or to create impact in the world. If it's not something

that is exciting to you, I mean, even just think about the marketing strategy.

You know, there's some people that are doing marketing online, there's some

people that are doing and they're saying, do it this way, this is what works

and buy this course. And here's what works. And again, the people that I'm

talking to that have actually done it, they're saying what worked was doing

what works for me, not what worked for somebody else. And I remember 20 years

ago, you know, being in the basement of the library with a new business. It was

a furniture store. And I'm realizing today that the vision was confused.

Because one of my parents saw this vision of a store that was, you know, in an

old storage warehouse and full of mattresses and like low overhead and we could

be cheap and we could be the cheap guy and be like selling mattresses. But then

the other parent had the vision that it was a design showroom. I mean,

literally, we are talking about two opposite extremes. So I'm in the basement

of the library at 18/19/20 years old with my kids in the you know, children's

department, trying to learn marketing for business, not realizing that I have a

complete disaster, a hot mess of a business because I have two separate visions

I'm trying to align. And neither one of them were mine. You mean like, Oh, my

word. Hello, where's mindset and, you know, been amazing to get access to some

of the coaching opportunities that are available today. I mean, just a huge

shift in thinking but back then you could put an ad in the newspaper. I mean, I

am totally dating myself. I'm only 41 years old. But I feel like if I, you

know, know about putting ads in the newspaper, I definitely am dating myself

and it worked, just FYI. But that's where I feel like there's this huge shift

because there's so much information. There's so many new things out there. But

if you don't do the business that works for you, then how is this even? It's

not sustainable. Right? It's like, well, we better start planning your exit

plan because chances are this is not where you're meant to be for very long

speaking to the things that you're saying about the new version of business

strategy. I also see with that coaching as a part of it, because to read a book

about mindset and to recognize my gaps, I mean, there's so many times I jumped

on a call with you. And I was like, I almost canceled and you were like, good,

because those are usually the breakthrough calls, you're starting to recognize,

what are the things that I'm up against? And when do I need to push through

that with somebody that can hear what I'm what I don't even know. I'm saying?

What is it that you've experienced in coaching? And what do you see for the

future of leaders? Amazing question.



Ana McRae

25:36

I think it makes the biggest difference. And obviously, I'm a little bit biased. But the

reason that I got into coaching is because of this very thing, right? We're in

this digital age where there is no shortage of information, like if you want to

figure anything out anything at all, you can Google it, and there will be 20

answers for you 20,000 answers for you. So the problem isn't that we don't know

what to do, it's that we're not doing it, or we're not doing it in a way that

works for us, or we're not doing it consistently. And so that's where one on

one coaching becomes so powerful, is because you really get to build a long

term relationship with your clients. And so let's take us, for example, I have

seen you running your business behind the scenes for so long, that I now fully

understand what your challenge points are, or what the sticking points are, or

what makes you uncomfortable, or where you tend to go too fast or go too slow.

Like we've built an entire relationship that's focused around you and how to

get you to the next level. And that's where the magic happens. Because your

business success depends on you. And so if you're not operating at your highest

level, if you're not working through the mindset, managing your energy, doing

that inner work to execute on the strategy, how is your business ever going to

get to the point that you want it to be at, and that work can't happen in a

done for you course, or a freebie that you download off the internet or even a

group program. And I've had this experience myself, I've invested a lot of

money into coaching into programs into courses into all the things because I'm

like a huge nerd. I mean, I read research papers on Friday night. So I love to

spend money on learning. But where I saw the biggest transformation was when

somebody really knew me, and knew the things about myself that I wasn't even

admitting to myself and could help me through that. And that's what unlocks the

potential that's when something clicks and you're like, oh, okay, this scary

thing outside of my comfort zone, done, because I've worked through the stuff

on the inside that kept me from doing it.



Jaime White

27:54

Do you ever wonder or think in all this nerdy research? I guess, what would be your

perspective? Is there a need for more coaches? are there so many coaches out

there? Is it just beginning are we What's the trend that you see happening in

terms of the coaching industry?



Ana McRae

28:15

I think there, it's definitely growing, there are more and more coaches available for

people that want that support. And I think recognition of what coaching can do

for you is also growing. But I also see a lot less real coaching happening than

what you would think is out there. So I think there is still a great need for

very good coaches that can coach, a lot of what I see online, is really great

marketers that can market, but can't deliver on the service itself, or people

that can tell you what they did and cross their fingers and hope that it works

for you too. But not people that have the experience to actually coach you

through your problems. And so I think that becomes a bit of a challenge for

people that are looking for that support, and maybe investing in that support,

but not having a great experience and then not trusting themselves to try

something else and to invest in a different coach. And so then, you know,

what's that saying? I'm awful with sayings, but it's like get burned once or

twice or something.



Jaime White

29:34

I can think of it from a construction perspective measure twice and cut once. Maybe

it's a similar concept. I don't know. Yeah.



Ana McRae

29:42

But basically it keeps people from getting the support that they want because they

feel or they thought they experienced it but they never got the real deal. And

so I think there's a big difference between marketing coaching and actually

coaching and that's really the thing to watch out for.



Jaime White

30:00

That's huge. And it's it's a detriment to both sides, right? Because then potentially

clients won't get the help or reach out for help believing that maybe their

experience will be similar to last time. And for coaches that are out there,

you know, it's kind of like, okay, I'm gonna say this. It's kind of like a good

cleaning lady. Like, oftentimes, they're not the ones with the big marketing

campaign, because they have so many people referring them, and it's like, Well,

do you know a good cleaning lady? And? Well, yes, but she's booked. The good

coaches, you know, it's sort of like, ah, yeah, I do, but I'm not sure if she's

taking on clients, there might be a waiting list, you know, versus the idea

that while we've got this marketing strategy, and we can just keep, I mean,

it's where people, and it's a mindset, and it's gonna take some time and all

the things.



Ana McRae

30:47

Yeah, absolutely. And I and so I think there are definitely a lot of great coaches

out there, too. But I think, if you're in the process of looking for a coach,

really understanding what kind of support it is that you want, and digging deep

to see if that's the kind of support that that coach can provide, rather than,

you know, reading one sales page and hoping that it solves all of your

problems, I think you really have to do your research and meet with a few

different people and see who's a good fit, because that makes such a big

difference, and then commit to that relationship, and not expect an overnight

success, right. And I think that coaching dramatically accelerates the speed

with which you accomplish your goals. But, you know, just like there's no

overnight diet, that's gonna help you lose all the weight, there is no

overnight coaching, secret that's going to suddenly fix all of your problems,

it really is a process. And I think in the day, and age of instant

gratification, like that's something we forget, we just want it all faster. But

it's an incredible process that truly transforms your life and your business.



Jaime White

31:57

When I think about the investment levels that we've made, and the shift that's been

made in our lives, I don't regret doing any of it, you know, and being able to

see, from a different perspective, it's like, in a way, I think of sports, you

know, where you have someone that may be working towards a huge goal, let's

just say the Olympics, for instance. And it doesn't happen overnight. And it's

not all on the coach, you know, if the person themselves isn't putting in that

work, then obviously and so similar, right, in the same lane, in business, or

in our lives. So the other thing that I just want to point out is that you're

in Canada, and it's now making it so that virtually you can coach from anywhere

in the world to anywhere in the world. I mean, it's opened up, it's the

boundaries have just kind of expanded from what people maybe could have done

even a couple of years ago.



Ana McRae

32:50

Yeah, absolutely. And I think especially post COVID, where everyone's just a lot more

comfortable with the online space, like even my local clients still take

clients still take calls over the phone, or over zoom, because it's just more

convenient for everybody, right. And so I think coaching is an amazing

industry, because there's such a low barrier to entry. So if you love coaching,

if you're passionate about it, if you want to pursue it as a career, there's

not a lot standing in your way except probably yourself. But



Jaime White

33:20

That's a huge thing. Let's just say. Like, it's one of those frustrating things that you

can't just pay to solve, like, you can't just throw money at the problem and

hope it goes away.



Ana McRae

33:32

Yeah, exactly. But it is it is good to know that, you know, there's not a lot that

you need in terms of starting up a coaching business. It's not like starting a

brick and mortar business where you're taking out loans and building all this

infrastructure, etc. But kind of like we talked about earlier with that low

barrier to entry means that anybody can become a coach. And that kind of

reflects on the experience.



Jaime White

33:57

Is there anything else that comes to mind that you would love to share with listeners

about coaching about the work that you do about fulfillment? Anything that

comes to mind?



Ana McRae

34:08

I think what's most important for me in any interaction that I have with people is to

really find out like, are you happy with where you are? Are you intentionally

creating a life and a business that you love? Or are you kind of just coasting

on autopilot, throwing spaghetti at the wall, trying to see what sticks like,

expecting that a year, two years when you hit, you know, six figures, seven

figures, etc, all of your problems will be solved. And I think it's just such a

good reminder to know that your problems don't go away. They just change and so

at whatever goal, you're still going to have them they're just going to be

different and you're upgrading them if we want to use that terminology, but

they still exist and so if there is no I don't want to say there's no light at

the end of the tunnel. But it's really about being in the tunnel. If the tunnel

is the entire journey, then how do you get to a place where you're really

loving the day to day running of your business, because that's where everything

changes. And that's where the success comes naturally, that's where you get to

a bullet point where you're like, Yeah, this was easy. Like, I don't really

feel like I had any challenges because I aligned my business with what I truly

wanted. And not to say that there won't be challenges, but it'll feel easier to

overcome them because they're aligned with what you really want. When you're

trying to build something that you think you should have or hit a goal that

just somebody else is hitting and doing things, because they're expected of you

or because you're, for whatever reason, expecting them of yourself. Running a

business out of alignment with your values, with your vision with what you

truly want is really, really hard. And it makes it hard to get it to the level

of success that you want. And even if you happen to make it there, you're just

not going to be happy, like it's not going to solve what you want it to solve.

And so I really, really encourage people to do that reflection, especially at

this time of year, I think it's a great time when everyone starts setting

goals. But rather than setting goals, just sit and reflect on like, what's

working, what's not working, what do you really wish was different? And if

anything was possible. And if you were 100% certain that you would succeed,

what would you be doing different? And I think there lies the answer to where

you need to focus.



Jaime White

36:37

I love that I know, You've asked me the question, but what if it all works out?

Totally shifts the thinking from doesn't feel like it's working out? And it's

like, well, but what if it does? Well, all of a sudden, my brain goes into

different different places, you know, I would, I would focus on different

things I would be making this phone call, I would be doing this differently.

And what you said about you feeling stuck, one of the other things that we've

been thinking about is what have you been tolerating, because even thinking

about in my life, there might not be a lot of outward changes that are super obvious

to somebody else. But the things that I tolerate my list is a lot a lot

smaller, I used to be pretty strong, pretty strong in terms of how many things

I could tolerate. Not the best list of strengths to promote to others. But I

had you know, really not so good boundaries, and I can handle a lot of toxic

energy. And for some reason I was enjoying it because I was making the best of

it, like you said, being in the tunnel and, and making the best of it versus

recognizing that it actually could be completely different.



Ana McRae

37:49

Yeah, and I think we're so busy running around trying to do all the things that we

don't create the space to reflect on that. And so then one years, three years,

10 years passes, and you're kind of in the same boat that you were in. Just

because you're it's like that little hamster running in his little hamster

wheel, right? He like doesn't stop to get out and like chew on the grass or

whatever a hamster would do if it got out of the hamster wheel, right? And so

really looking at like, where are you creating your own hamster wheel and

really putting this pressure or this rush on things? And what do you actually

want? So if you were to achieve your goals, like what is it that you actually

want from that? Right? For example, if I make a million dollars, I'm gonna have

the freedom to travel with my family. Okay, great. Let's just like cut to the

chase and build in the freedom to travel with your family, right now, while

you're working towards that million dollars. Because the two aren't mutually

exclusive. Like you get to have them both. And it's really hard to build

something one way and then experience it a different way, right to build your

business working 60 hour weeks and not doing anything fun. Hit the million

dollar mark and then say, Okay, now I'm ready to have all the freedom and enjoy

time with my family. Like you're just it's it's not easy to do that, and most

people don't. And so really intentionally building your business, building your

life, in alignment with what you want, in the end, building that in now. Like

that's where everything changes.



Jaime White

39:20

I 100% agree. And it's what I've seen over the years, there's been plenty of

millionaires that haven't changed their lifestyle. After they hit that number.

It is not a numbers game. It's a mindset game. And if we don't shift our

mindset before the number hits, it doesn't happen after either. I asked someone

recently because he wanted to get into real estate investing. And you know that

that was my background and the things that I've worked through from a mindset

shift in that as well. And I asked him, you know what the reason was, and he's

like, Well, I've seen how money can control you and I want to have the freedom

and I said, well the funny thing is what I've noticed about real estate

investors is that if you don't change the mindset, then it doesn't even matter.

Once you're in a place to be, quote unquote, financially free, you're still

looking for that next deal, you're still looking for that next opportunity, or

you're saving for the next investment. And so you're still not spending it,

you're still. And if that's what you enjoy, I mean, I, I just didn't enjoy when

we got the calls about the leaky faucets, because my husband and I, neither one

of us is really good about fixing those leaky faucets. So if someone else

enjoys that, then that's great. I'm not meant to be running real estate

investments in that beginner level stage of dealing with tenants, just

realizing that it's meant for somebody, somebody is meant to be doing that. And

today, it's not me. And then what are the things that I am called to be doing?

And I need to step into those things. And you, I really appreciate that you

have been there with me on the journey and continue to hold my feet to the fire

in terms of believing and holding the vision high that it is possible for me to

live a life that's in fulfillment for me, because if I have to live a life,

where I'm dealing with leaky faucets and tenant calls, compared to, you know,

how do I deal with the tech issues for getting on a podcast, I will deal with

the tech issues for getting on a podcast, right? Like I'm choosing my issues

now. Because I'm choosing the life that's in alignment for me, and I love it.

I'm super thankful to you for that.



Ana McRae

41:28

Amazing.


Jaime White

41:30

Well, thank you so much for coming on with me today. Anything else that you'd like to share?



Ana McRae

41:36

No, this has been fantastic. I think, you know, kudos to you for sharing what that

transformation has looked like. And that, you know, we have been working

together for a long time. And that's what deepens the relationship. And what

gets you more value is really having someone that knows you and can help you.

And so, for all the listeners out there, like, take a second after this podcast

is over before you jump to the next thing and think about that in your own life

in your own business. Like who's playing that role for you. It could be a coach

could be a mentor. It could be a partner, it could be a friend, but someone has

to be consistently because it's really hard to do it for yourself. It's really

hard to unravel your own mindset issues. It's really hard to hold yourself

accountable. And so that's where we really can lean into community and lean

into getting the support that we deserve to create what we want. And then not

only does it happen faster, but it's also more fun in the process.



Jaime White

42:37

Very true. Thank you so much, Anna.



Ana McRae

42:41

Amazing. Thank you for having me, Jaime

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